Tank banding mechanism



Oct. 25, 1966 J. M. CROM 3,281,085

TANK BANDING MECHANISM Filed March 12, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 o .j 8 l4 3/ are 68 Izwewibfl:

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Oct. 25, 1966 J. M. cRoM 3,281,085

TANK BANDING MECHANISM Filed March 12, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 25, 1966 Filed March 12, 1964 J. M. CROM 3,281,085

TANK BANDING MECHANISM 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 United States Patent M 3,281,085 TANK BANDING MECHANISM John M. Crom, Princess Issena Hotel,

Daytona Beach, Fla. Filed Mar. 12, 1964, Ser. No. 351,336 8 Claims. (Cl. 242- 7) This invention relates to the circumferential banding of the upright and continuous wall portion of large tanks with reinforcement of wire or the like under predetermined tension and wrapped helically about the tank wall, thus placing and holding the wall under substantial compression. The banding thus applied comprises a succession of convolutions of the wire on and in spaced relation about the cylindrical wall and the uniform spacing of these convolutions on the wall is of considerable importance. Otherwise two or more adjacent convolutions will frequently contact each other and form a cavity or cavities behind the wires which cannot be reached with the Gunite spray that is employed to cover the wires and such cavities form channels under the wires and carry water which may enter through flaws or leaks in the wall. Such flow of water in the channels finds exit through shrinkage cracks in the cover coatings and the entrance of air together with the water will eventually rust and destroy the wires. Such defects cause leakage and require very diflficult and expensive repairs. Uniform spacing of the wires by my invention permits of no such channels and eliminates these destructive, troublesome and expensive defects.

The tank banding machine shown in my Patent No. 3,089,656 comprises a power driven vehicle disposed to travel about and trail wire there-from under predetermined tension and into contact with the cylindrical tank wall. The trailed wire passes through a guiding sheave maintained at an elevation spaced approximately the required spacing distance from the previously placed convolution, and trailing rearwardly from this sheave is a spacing mechanism riding on the previously placed convolution and guiding the trailed wire into contact with the wall at the exact spacing required. While such mechanism results in exact spacing of the convolutions on the Wall, the maintaining of the guiding sheave at the approximate spacing position presents a problem that has heretofore required the employment of manual labor to perform this function. The primary object of'my present invention disclosed herein is the production of novel mechanism for automatically performing this function with such accuracy and uniformity that proper spacing of the convolutions are automatically maintained and the need for labor and spacing mechanism heretofore required for performing this function eliminated.

These and other features of the invention will be best understood and appreciated from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary elevation of a tank and banding mechanism embodying my invention,

FIG. 2 is a plan view thereof,

FIG. 3 is a like plan view with the parts in another position,

FIG. 4 is an enlarged elevation of mechanism shown in FIG. 1, and

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on line -55 of FIG. 1.

In the drawings, indicates a cementitious tank having a cylindrical wall 12 which is required to be placed under preloaded compression by banding as above described. In a preferred form of my invention as illustrated in the drawings, the banding is performed conveniently and economically by a tractor 14 resting on the ground outside the tank wall and adapted to be traveled around 3,281,085 Patented Oct. 25, 1966 the tank, a castor roll 16 being provided for keeping the tractor spaced from the wall. The tractor carries a reel 17 of Wire 18 which is trailed therefrom and banded uniformly onto the tank by mechanism comprising my invention as the tractor travels around the tank.

A carriage 20 is supported on wheels 21 riding on the top surface of the wall 12, the carriage being supported against lateral displacement by wheels 22 and 23 engaging the outside and inside surfaces of the wall. A sheave block 24 carrying a wire guiding sheave 26 is supported by a cable 28 depending from a hoist 30 mounted on the carriage. The tractor 14 is connected to the carriage 20 by a cable 31 and to the sheave block by a cable 32 whereby the carriage and block are trailed from the tractor. The wire 18 being trailed onto the tank from the tractor passes through a reducing die 34 placing a predetermined tension on the wire which extends therefrom rearwardly over the sheave 26 and onto the tank wall.

The hoist 30 is of well known standard construction and comprises a drum within a housing 35 for receiving and supporting the cable 28 wound thereonto, a sheave 36 coaxial with and operatively connected by a forty-to-one ratio gearing to the drum, and an endless chain or cable 38 passing around and depending from the sheave. In accordance with my invention, I also provide a second sheave 40 in fixed face to face contact and coaxial with the sheave 36. The sheave 36 together with the endless cable 38 provide for manually rotating the drum, and the sheave 40 together with mechanism hereinafter described provides for automatically rotating the drum and accurately placing the wire convolutions at predetermined spacing as the tractor and carriage are traversed around the tank.

A lever pivoted to the carriage 20 at 42 includes an inwardly extending arm 43 and an outwardly extending arm 44. The arm 44 has a segment 46 on its free end disposed in a radial are about the pivot axis 42 and with its outer surface in alignment with the sheave 40. A cord 48 fixed at one end to the segment extends therefrom to and entirely around the sheave 40 and from thence downwardly to a weight 50 secured to its other end. The

outer arcuate surface of the segment supports the cord in tangential position relative to the sheave 40. The weight is disposed within and guided by a tube 52 mounted vertically on the carriage.

A stop 54 is provided on the carriage for limiting pivotal movement of the lever to the position shown in FIG. 1 and a spring 56 normally pivots the lever to this position.

A support 58 for limiting downward movement of the weight 50 is provided within the tube 52. The support is mounted on the top end of a threaded shaft 60 nonrotatably splined for longitudinal movement through a U-shaped bracket 62 fixed to the carriage. A sheave 64 having threaded engagement with the shaft is rotatably around the sheave and from thence over two idlers 68 and downwardly as illustrated. In FIG. 4 the support 58 is adjusted to a position so limiting downward movement of the weight 50 that the cord 48 is slack and loose on the sheave 40 when the lever 43-44 is in the normal position shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. In such position the sheaves 36 and 40 can be rotated manually by the cable 38 independently of the cord connection 48 to the lever.

The first convolution of wire is placed by anchoring the end of the wire 18 to the tank wall as at 70 and then trailing the wire onto the wall as the tractor tra'vels therearound. An abutment post 72 is mounted in fixed position in the path of movement of the lever arm 43, the post being illustrated in FIG. 5 as mounted on the tank dome 7-4. Forward movement of the tractor around 3 the tank tows the carriage 20 and sheave block 24 therewith and trails the wire 18 onto the tank wall at the supporting level of the guiding sheave 26. When the lever arm 43 reaches and contacts the post 72, the lever is rotated clockwise as illustrated in FIG. 3. The first portion'of this movement takes up the slack on the cord 48, thereby tightening the cord onto the sheave 40 and rotating the sheave through the balance of the lever stroke.

justed in either direction by means of the endless cable 66. Other means, such as modifying the relative positions of the post 72 and arm 43, can also be employed for this purpose. Also, while in the drawings I have illustrated the employment of a single post 72 whereby the full spacing of the convolutions is effected at 76 during a single stroke of the lever 4344, such spacing can be effected in increments, if desired, by providing a plurality of abutment posts spaced equally about the tank. In such case, the weight support 58 will be set to such position that the sum of the stroke spacings effected at each travel around the tank totals the spacing required between adjacent convolutions. In the normal and idle position, shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the cord 48 is loose on the sheave 40 and at such time any required manual adjusting or correcting. of the vertical position of the wire guiding sheave 26 can be effected through operation of the cable 38 and without disturbing the automatic mechanism. It is also noted that both manually adjusting cables 38 and 66 are disposed for convenient operation from the ground.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Apparatus for banding the upright and continuous wall of a tank circumferentially with a continuous wire, comprising a power driven vehicle disposed to travel about said wall and trail said wire from the vehicle and into contact with the wall, means connected to and movable with the vehicle for placing the trailed wire under predetermined tension, a carriage mounted to move on and about the tank wall and connected to and trailing from the vehicle, wire guiding means supported by the carriage and connected to and trailing from the vehicle rearwardly of the wire tensioning means for supporting the trailed wire at a predetermined elevation adjacent to'but spaced from the'wall and guiding it into con-tact with the wall, an abutment on the tank, and regulating means including a member mounted on the carriage in position to contact the abutment and thereby automatically move the member on the carriage and the wire guiding means a predetermined amount vertically as the carriage and member pass the abutment.

2. The apparatus defined in claim 1 in which said member is a lever pivoted to the carriage and having an arm thereof disposed to contact said abutment, and connections betweenthe lever and wire guiding means for moving the wire guiding means vertically when the lever is pivoted by contact with the abutment.

connections include a hoist mounted on the carriage, a.

cable supporting the wire guiding means from a drum in the hoist, and lever responsive means disposed between the drum and lever for rotating the drum 'when the lever is pivoted by contact with the abutment.

4. The apparatus defined in claim 3 in which a portion of the lever responsive means is a part of the hoist, and means for manually operating said hoist and thereby rotating the drum independently of the connection to the lever.

5. The apparatus defined in claim 4 in which said portion comprises a sheave and said lever responsive means includes a cable extending around the. sheave and connected at one end to the lever, a stop disposed to limit pivotal movement of the lever toward the sheave, means normally pivoting the lever against the stop, a weight connected to the other end of the cable, and means limiting downward movement of the weight to a position leaving the cable loose on the sheave when the lever is in contact with the stop, forward pivotal movement of the lever being adapted to tighten the cable on and rotate the sheave.

6. The apparatus defined in claim 1 plus adjustable means for varying said predetermined amount of vertical movement given to the wire guiding means.

7. Apparatus for banding the upright and continuous wallof a tank circumferentially with a continuous wire, comprising a power driven vehicle disposed to travel about said wall and trail said wire from the vehicle and intoconta-ct with the wall, means connected to and movable with the vehicle for placing the trailed wire under predetermined tension, a carriage mounted to move on and about the tank wall and connected to and trailing from the vehicle, wire guiding means supported by the carriage and connected to and trailing from the vehicle reanwardly of the wire tensioning means for supporting the trailed wire at a predetermined elevation adjacent to but spaced from the wall and guiding it into contact with the wall, a hoist mounted on the carriage and having a cable supporting the wire guiding means from a drum in the hoist, an abutment on the tank, a'member mounted on the carriage in position to contact the abutment and be moved thereby on the carriage as the carriage passes the abutment, and means including a cable operatively connecting the member and drum and adapted automatically to rotate the drum and thereby move the wire guiding means a predetermined amount in one direction vertically during each passage of the carriage and contact of the member with the abutment.

8. The apparatus defined in claim 7 plus means for manually moving the wire guiding means vertically independently of said means for moving the wire guid-' ing means automatically.

9/1960 McLean et al 242-7 Patent No.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION October 25, 1966 John M. Crom It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

line

Column 1, line 11, strike out "helically"; column 3, after 38 insert the following:

As illustrated in my patent 2,364,696 and illustrated and described in my patents 2,370,780 and 2,858,084, the wire convolutions are wound spirally on the tank wall and are more closely spaced adjacent to the bottom of the tank to compensate for the greater outward pressure of the contained liquid. Heretofore, this additional spacing has been performed manually by thus adjusting the wire guiding sheave vertically as the tank banding proceeds. My resent invention provides not only for performing this operation automatically but also with an exact and uniform precision not otherwise possible. Also, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, the convolutions can be placed in non-spiral relation and automatically spaced the required distance at one or more predetermined points in the travel of the carriage 20 about the tank wall, as indicated at 76.

Signed and sealed this 24th day of October 1967.

[SEAL] Attest:

EDWARD I I.FLETCHER,JR Attesting Officer EDWARD J. BRENNER Commissioner of Patents 

1. APPARATUS FOR BANDING THE UPRIGHT AND CONTINUOUS WALL OF A TANK CIRCUMFERENTIALLY WITH A CONTINUOUS WIRE, COMPRISING A POWER DRIVEN VEHICLE DISPOSED TO TRAVEL ABOUT SAID WALL AND TRAIL SAID WIRE FROM THE VEHICLE AND INTO CONTACT WITH THE WALL, MEANS CONNECTED TO AND MOVABLE WITH THE VEHICLE FOR PLACING THE TRAILED WIRE UNDER PREDETERMINED TENSION, A CARRIAGE MOUNTED TO MOVE ON AND ABOUT THE TANK WALL AND CONNECTED TO AND TRAILING FROM THE VEHICLE, WIRE GUIDING MEANS SUPPORTED BY THE CARRIAGE AND CONNECTED TO AND TRAILING FROM THE VEHICLE REARWARDLY OF THE WIRE TENSIONING MEANS FOR SUPPORTING THE TRAILED WIRE AT A PREDETERMINED ELEVATION ADJACENT TO BUT SPACED FROM THE WALL AND GUIDING IT INTO CONTACT WITH THE WALL, AN ABUTMENT ON THE TANK, AND REGULATING MEANS INCLUDING A MEMBER MOUNTED ON THE CARRIAGE IN POSITION TO CONTACT THE ABUTMENT AND THEREBY AUTOMATICALLY MOVE THE MEMBER ON THE CARRIAGE AND THE WIRE GUIDING MEANS A PREDETERMINED AMOUNT VERTICALLY AS THE CARRIAGE AND MEMBER PASS THE ABUTMENT. 